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The Depth of His Riches
Erlo Stegen

Erlo Hartwig Stegen (1935 - 2023). South African missionary and revivalist of German descent, born on Mbalane farm near Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, to Hermannsburg missionary descendants. Raised Lutheran, he left school after grade 10 to farm but felt called to ministry in 1952, evangelizing rural Zulus under apartheid. After 12 years of preaching with few lasting conversions, he experienced a transformative revival in 1966 at Maphumulo, marked by repentance and reported miracles. In 1970, he founded KwaSizabantu Mission (“place where people are helped”) in Kranskop, which grew into a self-sustaining hub with farms, a water bottling plant, and schools, serving thousands. Stegen authored Revival Among the Zulus and preached globally, establishing churches in Europe by 1980. Married with four daughters, he mentored Zulu leaders and collaborated with theologian Kurt Koch. His bold preaching drew 3 million visitors to KwaSizabantu over decades.
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Sermon Summary
In the video, a man is shown stealing items from a shop and is caught on CCTV cameras. The owner of the shop confronts the man and shows him the footage, leaving him amazed at the advanced technology. The sermon then transitions to the preacher discussing the depth of God's wisdom and knowledge, emphasizing that His ways are beyond human understanding. The sermon concludes with a description of Jesus' crucifixion and the immense suffering He endured for the sins of humanity.
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Hello, this is Brother Llewellyn. We greet you in the wonderful name of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is for us a great privilege to bring unto you the Word of God. It is our desire that your life may be blessed and changed by this message. This message has no copyright, so it may not be bought or sold. You are however welcome to make copies for your family and friends. If you would like additional messages, please visit our website at www.hisecclesia.co.cc. Again, www.hisecclesia.co.cc. This material is available to you without charge by the freewill offerings of God's people. A special thank you to all who support this ministry. May the Gospel of Jesus Christ go out freely, yes, that the Lamb may receive the reward of his suffering. Thank you Lord that we have this opportunity to gather around your Word. We invite you to be in our midst. Take this service Lord into your hands. Grant us the strength to speak, and to listen, and to hear, to attain to that which you have in store for us. Amen. Our text we find in Romans chapter 11. It's now a number of times that I've spoken on this word in these days. Romans 11 verse 33. O the depths of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable his judgments and his paths beyond tracing out. We'll end reading there. Our text says, O the depths of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable his judgments and his paths beyond tracing out. God is great. He cannot fathom his ways, neither his judgments. And his riches, it's so broad, it's so deep. We'll never be able to fully understand and grasp it. And I said at the funeral as well that your animal, whether it be your dog, whatever animal of yours it might be, that animal will not be able to understand your ways. And the same with us, only a thousand times more, we will never be able to understand and grasp God's ways. If a person tries to understand and grasp the heights and the depths and the widths of God, that will only cause that person to go of his mind. I remember a certain person coming to me one day saying, I know who has given me birth. And I know who's given them birth. And all the genealogies right back to Adam. How God created heaven and earth. Now who has given God birth? How did God come about? Now our brains are so puny, so small, that we'll never be able to fathom the riches of God. If we would be able to understand everything about God, then He would just be like us, an ordinary human being, on our level, without any divinity. One person said that if God would be according to your imagination and your thinking, your feelings, if you would fully understand Him and He would be exactly according to how you want Him to be. He said, I wouldn't hesitate calling that God the fool of your imagination. And He even said, an idiot of your imagination. God is God. He's exhausted and you will not be able to fully fathom Him. You, a worm of the earth, just like an ant on the earth. That's why the word says, oh the depths of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God. There are lakes that are crystal clear, pools of water where you can see right through to the bottom. But if you look at the riches of the wisdom and the knowledge of God, you cannot fathom those depths. He's much greater than that, much higher, much deeper. Job cried out when a messenger came to him and said, all your camels have been stolen. Your cattle, your sheep, they've all been stolen. And he received the message that all 10 of his children had passed away at the same time. And he himself had boils and sores on his body, right from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet. And his wife said, why don't you just curse God and die? He said, you speak like a foolish woman. And his friends came, wanting to give him advice, thinking they were giving him sound advice. In the meantime, they were just going along the sides, not hitting at the point. Speaking a lot of fairytales, so to say. Some people are very quick in giving advice. It would have been better if they shut their mouths, because at the end, God said, I'll never forgive you speaking about those friends of Job, unless you go to him and ask him to pray for you. We, people of the earth, we need advisers and counsellors, and kings also need counsellors and advisers. But who will be God's adviser and counsellor? It was also so difficult for Job, that eventually he said, Lord, it would have been better had my day of birth been cursed. It would have been better had I perished in my mother's womb. Or maybe just after my birth had died, rather than meeting up with us. Confused, not knowing any longer where his head or tail. And then God replied to Job. He said, Job, get up and girdle your loins like a man and reply me now, answer to these questions that I put to you. He said, were you there the day I created the earth? Do you know what measurements I gave to the earth? Do you know how I set things up? And God asked him simple things about crows, for example. Where they get their food. And where certain birds lay their eggs and how they bring them up. Asking him about certain animals and about the lions. He said, Job, brace yourself like a man and I'll question you and you answer me now, because you are asking me certain questions as if you are finding fault with my ways. As if my ways are not perfect. And then Job repented, he said, oh God, forgive me, I put my hand on my mouth and I won't say anything anymore. And he became wise. And we too, if we would much sooner put our hands on our mouths and shut our mouths, we'd also become wise. Oh, the depths of the richness of the wisdom and knowledge of God are unsearchable, his judgments. If you look at the skies, at the stars. People today, with their scientific knowledge, can tell you the distance that the stars are from the earth. They can tell you how they move in the skies. And they can tell you about their seasons and about their hours and even the minutes. They've even fathomed the depths of the sea at different places. They can tell you at this place the sea is so deep, at that place it's so deep. Man's knowledge has increased, it's great. They can tell you all those things. But when it comes to the depths of the riches and the wisdom of God, man is an utter fool. He doesn't know anything. He's absolutely stupid, he doesn't understand a thing. Not knowledge. Nothing. Even though today you've got cars that go on their own, whereas in the past they had to be pulled by a horse. In the middle of the 1870s, no more than 1700, there was a car that was pulled by a horse. In the 1700s there was a woman that said she had seen a car that was going on its own. An automobile going on its own. Not pulled by horses or by anything else, but just going on its own. Eventually they put her in an asylum. But today we have those cars all over. Those people that put her into the asylum, they should have been put in there. Or we would say that today. That is the scientific knowledge that there is today. Now, Uncle Ernie there in Dalton, in his stores, in his shops, he's got closed circuit television cameras that are there as a security precaution. And they record everything that everybody is doing in the shop. And when people steal and they put things into their pockets, it records them. They put things into their pockets. And they put things into their pockets. After he had filled all his pockets, he didn't have any spice left anymore to put anything else in there. They went to him and they said to him, what is all that in your pockets? He said, now what are you talking about? There's nothing. There's nothing. He said, now what are you talking about? He said, now what are you talking about? There's nothing. He said, now what are you talking about? There's nothing. He said, now what are you talking about? He said, now what are you talking about? There's nothing. He said, now what are you talking about? He said, now what are you talking about? There's nothing. He said, now what are you talking about? There's nothing. He said, no I want to hear what you've got to say. He said, now I want to hear what you've got to say. He said, now my, is technology as advanced as this and thats all that he could say he was just amazed at this technology He didn't even say sorry about what he had done done, or anything about it. The technology Yeah. Yes, technology is advanced. Oh, Tomo. But if you take that knowledge of men, and you take it to God, then you see that it is no better than the knowledge of a donkey about a man, if you compare our knowledge about God. Oh, the depths of the riches of God. Oh, no. Of the wisdom and knowledge of God, and our unsearchable his judgments. What do you hear? Job didn't realize that there was a battle, a war in heaven, where Satan appeared to God. And he said to God, did you have you not seen? Or then God said to him, God said to the devil, did you see my servant on earth, and how faithfully serving me? I've taken note of him, but one can understand that he serves you because after all, you've blessed him mightily, you've given him wealth, you've given him these children, and you've blessed him. Well, that's what people like, isn't it? So you tell people come to Jesus, and then you'll be blessed. You'll have a motor car, you'll have this and that. And people jump for that. That's what they want. And God said, no, he's serving me with his heart. And the devil said, just allow me to take away his possessions, and those blessings with which you've blessed him, to take away his children, all his wealth, to even enter into his wife, that she becomes like a foolish woman, and stands on Satan's side, and then you'll see how he'll turn his back upon you. Let me take his three closest friends, and that they turn against him, and you'll see, he'll forsake you. And Job's life became a battleground between God and Satan, but Job didn't understand anything of that. He didn't know about it at all. And then, eventually, he put his hand on his mouth, we won't ever understand God's ways. All that is required of us, is to humble ourselves, to submit ourselves underneath God's powerful hand. And then it says, how unsearchable his judgments. God's judgments. That are unfathomable. Let's look in the Bible, about God's judgments, with the coming of the flood. Before that time of Noah's flood, the people on the earth became utterly corrupted. All their thinking, all their inventions, their imaginations, they were utterly evil and wicked before God. Everything that they were thinking about, was sexually deprived. And then, they sinned sexually, in a way that goes above our understanding, but that caused God's anger and wrath to come down on them, after they had given birth to giants. Now we can ask today, how did they do it? How did it work? And one person says this, another person says that, but let it suffice that they were utterly corrupted. They had fallen very low in their sinning, and their immorality, and perversion before God. We don't do it here. We've got apartheid. We don't do it here. We've got apartheid. But you'll find people, all in the Christian life, falling into sin. But you'll find people, all in the Christian life, falling into sin. Why? Because they don't serve God as they should. Why? Because they don't serve God as they should. And behold, the devil's job is to chip him of his bread. And behold, the devil's job is to chip him of his bread. eman and his leadership are your children, 100 percent. And behalf of the people of Israel, And behalf of the people of Israel, Give them love Give them love Give them God's love... Give them God's love... because the person is look home, And God said to Job, to Noah, in His grace, He said, Noah, I grieve that I have made man, and I am going to wipe them from the face of the earth, but I am going to give them a hundred and twenty years to repent. How unsearchable His judgments. Look at that, God found only one man and his family on the whole earth that were righteous before Him. God judges sin. He'll judge the sin that there is on the earth today, and He'll judge that sin in your life. You won't escape that, whether you're a Christian or not Christian, God will judge that sin. You don't break with that sin. The wrath of God is upon your life. For a hundred and twenty years, God was patient with him. And then God commanded Noah to build that ark, and he started building it. And the people came to him and said, Noah, what are you doing? He said, I'm building an ark. They said, my, here on dry ground, in the mountains where there is no sea, and they mocked Noah. And God, however, trusted, Noah trusted in God, and he believed God. And so, he completed that task God gave him, and then God sent the animals to come in. And eventually, Noah and his family also entered into the ark. And then God locked the door. And then the fountains of the deep broke open from below and from above. The water spouted out and poured forth. And then all the people started coming there to the ark, and even Noah's own relatives started crying to him, saying, open for us, we want to enter. And Noah said, I didn't close the door, God Himself locked the door. And it was difficult for the ladies, the women that were in labor. Those that were pregnant with child, it was difficult for the older women. The younger people, they started running up the mountains, maybe climbing up into the trees, and the water steadily rose all the time. The unsearchable judgments of God. Nobody ever could imagine that God would destroy the earth with a flood. But Noah, the head of that family, together with his family, they were saved. Nobody could ever understand and fathom the judgments of God, how God would judge them and destroy them and wipe them out. But only Noah and his family were saved and rescued. God said to Noah and his family, you are not to die. You are not to die. You are not to die. You are not to die. You are not to die. You are not to die. You are not to die. You are not to die. You are not to die. You are not to die. You are not to die. You are not to die. You are not to die. You are not to die. You are not to die. You are not to die. You are not to die. You are not to die. You are not to die. You are not to die. You are not to die. You are not to die. You are not to die. 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God forsook him to such an extent that he cried out, he said, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Carrying, bearing your sin. It was terrible. It was difficult. It was beyond bearing. And even the sun covered its face and it became dark at midday. And even the earth trembled and shook. His paths are beyond tracing out. Jesus was red with blood, not human blood, but divine blood. That blood dripped to the ground. And that was the most evil and wicked thing that could have been done. That was the darkest time and period on earth. It was pitch black. Never ever before and after that had anything so evil been done. But just look at God's unsearchable ways through that most evil thing that had been done. You and I are helped if you are helped. In 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 2, 12, the last part it says, Even angels long to look into these things. That is the gospel. That is the working of the blood of Jesus in our lives. That is God's working within us. Do you read this? Do you hear this? That it says even the angels long to look into these things. They long to see the working of the gospel in the lives of men. If one is in heaven, there shouldn't be anything else that you would desire to see because you've got everything. That which no human eye has ever seen, that which no human ear has ever heard is there in heaven. The thing we can't understand, if you're in heaven, the glories of heaven, you shouldn't wish for anything else. But those in heaven desire to see in you what the grace of God can do. Do you understand this? Those in heaven see the best. They shouldn't wish for anything else. No desire to see anything else. But they want to see in you what the blood of Jesus can do. What the grace of God can do. What the gospel can do. It's worth more to them than the glories of heaven to see what God can do in your lives. That is what you're going to see. And that's in your lives. That's in your lives that you're going to see what Jesus Christ can do in your lives. That's in your lives. That's right. That's why I'm telling you, I'm telling you, I'm telling you. You're going to see what God can do. That's what you're going to see. That's what you're going to see. That's the gospel. That's what you're going to see. That's what you're going to see. The glory of God in your life is greater than the glory of heaven. Come to the angels, the holy angels in heaven. They look at you. They long to see what the gospel of Jesus Christ can do in your life, in your lives. Shame upon you. If your life is a disgrace, you're fit for hell. So let us ask you again, what is the glory of God in your life? If your life is a disgrace, you're fine. You're at home with no concerns. If your life is a disgrace, you're at home with no concerns. the angels want to see in your life the greatness of the gospel as to how great the gospel is. In Ephesians it says that God wants to display the greatness of his glory to the heavenly angels in and through the church. The angels want to see that which pertains to heaven and the gospel in your life, young man, young woman, but what do they see? Do they see you defiling yourself with your own hands? What do they see in your life? Mother, do they see you taking the side of your child who has turned his back upon God? As I say that Jesus will see of the travail of his soul and be satisfied. When Jesus sees what his death has done in your life that he says it's been worth it all, it's been worth it all and he'll be satisfied. When Jesus looks at your life, dear brother, dear sister, is he satisfied? As he looks at your life, is he satisfied? Say hey, it's been worth it as death has done the grace. Then the holy angels come and say we want to see as well. Let me see in their lives. Let me see in Elo's life, in Mario's life, in Deepa's life, in Kai's life, what the gospel can do and what do they see? Those in heaven, the host of heaven, the angelic host, what do they observe in your life? Is it gossip, unkind words, unfriendly deals? What can I call you? Man and woman of hell. Have I got to repeat that? Fall into sin, carry on and then you fall into sin again. Disgrace, shame on you. Disgrace, shame on you. Disgrace, shame on you. Disgrace, shame on you. Disgrace, shame on you. Disgrace, shame on you. Disgrace, shame on you. Disgrace, shame on you. Disgrace, shame on you. Disgrace, shame on you. Disgrace, shame on you. Disgrace, shame on you. Disgrace, shame on you. Disgrace, shame on you. What do they see in your life, from the crown of your head to the soles of your feet? The gospel that is preached today is a cheap gospel, but let you repent today and that it will be the day where you change, where your life will be different. I remember, now this is meant for you ladies, the men know nothing about this. A certain woman almost died giving in childbirth. She had a terrible pain. We men know nothing of birth pangs. It is said that if the wife would give birth to the first child and the husband to the second, there won't ever be a third. I saw in Russia, they've got big families. I spoke to some men, and they said, we want one child upon the other. And I said, what about your dear wife? It's nothing, if she dies, I'll get another one, and she'll give birth to children like that as well. Hardened, with no feeling. The Russian men can be very hard, the Russian Christians. I remember, now this is meant for you ladies, the men know nothing about this. A certain woman almost died giving in childbirth. She had a terrible pain. We men know nothing of birth pangs. It's nothing, if she dies, I'll get another one, and she'll give birth to children like that as well. Hardened, with no feeling. It has been worth it all. I spoke to that woman who almost died during childbirth, and I said to her, what was it like? She said it was terrible. The pains were terrible. I thought it was the end. But when they brought my little baby to me, and I embraced that baby, it was like oil on the wounds. I said it was worth it all. Is that what Jesus says concerning you? Such pain, such travail, such pain he went through, such agony. He went down to hell. Must have been hell to him for you. But when he looks at you today, does he smile? Is he well pleased? Say, I couldn't wish for anything better. And the holy angels, when they see that smile, they say, Lord, we'd like to look into that life as well, and see what your glorious redemption and gospel can do. They look away from heavenly things, look onto this earth of sin, and they want to see the glory of God in your life, which they can't behold up there. They would like to see what unity and oneness is brought about by the blood of the Lord Jesus amongst the brethren, amongst God's people. But what do they see? Do they see people getting irritated with each other, people scandaling and slandering each other, going apart from each other? What do they see? I'm sorry that my word has got Swiss lacquers. It's inexpressible. I'm sorry that I can't make it plainer and clearer to you. I can only pray, O God, Holy Spirit, reveal it to these people. Take the blindness away. Open their eyes that they know what it's all about. I'm sorry that my word has got Swiss lacquers. It's inexpressible. I'm sorry that I can't make it plainer and clearer to you. I can only pray, O God, Holy Spirit, reveal it to these people. Take the blindness away. Open their eyes that they know what it's all about. I can only pray, O God, Holy Spirit, reveal it to these people. Take the blindness away. Open their eyes that they know what it's all about. These are heavily secreted mysteries, but they are revealed to little children. And the angels say, they want to see that which God does through His blood, through His Christ, through the gospel and each one's life. I pray that that which I can't say and express in words, that that will be visible when the heavenly angels look down on you, that they'll see it. The Bible says we can't attain what's up there. It's inexpressible. And may that which your life is and what they see in your life, that it can't be expressed in words, that they'll see it and be satisfied. And the holy angels, when they desire to see that, that they'll see it and say, oh, marvelous, Lord Jesus, we didn't know that your grace is so big. We didn't know that your blood can sanctify and cleanse in such a way. Joseph Stalin, that communist dictator, had killed many people. He had murdered millions through his life. They were killed. But on his deathbed, it is said that those that came into the room, they saw him lying on his bed, pointing upwards, pointing upwards. I don't know what he saw there, whether he saw the wrath of God or whether he saw the grace of God. But I would marvel at the grace of God if I would see Stalin in heaven one day. Say, oh my God's grace is great. Indescribable. But where do you come from? Think of your past sins. Think where you came from. See how you have sinned. Unless you are damned and you have never seen yourself as a sinner. And Jesus didn't come for you, but he came for sinners. Now our life should be such as when the angels look, that they say, my, the grace of God is great. Just look at, see it in his life, visible. He was a sinner. He was a sinner. He was a sinner. He was a sinner. He was a sinner. He was a sinner. He was a sinner. He was a sinner. He was a sinner. He was a sinner. He was a sinner. He was a sinner. He was a sinner. He was a sinner. He was a sinner. 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The Depth of His Riches
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Erlo Hartwig Stegen (1935 - 2023). South African missionary and revivalist of German descent, born on Mbalane farm near Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, to Hermannsburg missionary descendants. Raised Lutheran, he left school after grade 10 to farm but felt called to ministry in 1952, evangelizing rural Zulus under apartheid. After 12 years of preaching with few lasting conversions, he experienced a transformative revival in 1966 at Maphumulo, marked by repentance and reported miracles. In 1970, he founded KwaSizabantu Mission (“place where people are helped”) in Kranskop, which grew into a self-sustaining hub with farms, a water bottling plant, and schools, serving thousands. Stegen authored Revival Among the Zulus and preached globally, establishing churches in Europe by 1980. Married with four daughters, he mentored Zulu leaders and collaborated with theologian Kurt Koch. His bold preaching drew 3 million visitors to KwaSizabantu over decades.